Chicago woman, 104, skydives from plane, aiming for record as the world’s oldest skydiver

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:54:59 GMT

Chicago woman, 104, skydives from plane, aiming for record as the world’s oldest skydiver OTTAWA, Ill. (AP) — A 104-year-old Chicago woman is hoping to be certified as the oldest person to ever skydive after making a tandem jump Sunday and landing 13,500 feet (4,100 meters) later at a northern Illinois airport.“Age is just a number,” Dorothy Hoffner told a cheering crowd moments after touching the ground Sunday at Skydive Chicago Airport in Ottawa, about 85 miles (140 kilometers) southwest of Chicago, the Chicago Tribune reported.The Guinness World Record for oldest skydiver was set in May 2022 by 103-year-old Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson from Sweden. But Skydive Chicago is working to have Guinness World Records certify Hoffner’s jump as a record, WLS-TV reported.Hoffner first skydived when she was 100. On Sunday, she left her walker behind just short of the Skyvan plane at the Ottawa airport and was helped up the steps to join the others waiting inside to skydive.“Let’s go, let’s go, Geronimo!” Hoffner said after she was finally seated.When she first skydived at 100 sh...

Southern Republicans look to nationalize 2023 governors’ races by invoking Biden

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:54:59 GMT

Southern Republicans look to nationalize 2023 governors’ races by invoking Biden LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — President Joe Biden’s name won’t appear on the ballot anywhere in 2023, but you wouldn’t know it from the campaigns that Republican candidates for governor are running in Kentucky and Mississippi.GOP nominees in both states — Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron and first-term Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves — are just as likely to mention the Democratic president as they are to name the person they face in the Nov. 7 general election.Tying candidates for governor to national political figures is a well-worn strategy but also reflects an era of deepening ideological divides, according to Carrie Archie Russell, an expert on southern politics at Vanderbilt University. She says forging such links, even when there’s no evidence of a strong connection, allows candidates to create a “mental shortcut for identifying individuals as ‘us’ or ‘them.’”In 2020, then-President Donald Trump won 62% of the vote in Kentucky and 58% in Mississippi...

Cat reunited with owner after viral search following Lyft trip

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:54:59 GMT

Cat reunited with owner after viral search following Lyft trip AUSTIN (KXAN) - A Texas man was reunited with his pet cat, Tux, early Monday morning after the two were separated during a rideshare trip and his search for the feline went viral.Palash Pandey had posted updates on social media throughout his search for Tux. He told Nexstar's KXAN that investigators hired by Lyft found Tux about a mile away from where the driver dropped Pandey off, and he was alerted around 1:30 a.m. Monday. He said Tux is back home, ate food and drank water, and will be taken to a vet later Monday. Palash Pandey's cat, Tux (Palash Pandey)According to Pandey, he took the trip Saturday to bring his cat in for medical care at a Banfield Pet Hospital location on Research Boulevard in Austin, Texas. When they arrived, he exited the vehicle and went around to the other side in order to retrieve Tux's carrier.But before he could, the Lyft driver began to drive away. "I, like, ran behind him, screaming like 'wait, wait, wait,' I banged on his windows hoping that he would n...

Solar eclipse takes big stage during ACL weekend two

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:54:59 GMT

Solar eclipse takes big stage during ACL weekend two AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin City Limits festival goers are going to get a special performance this year courtesy of the sun. The first of two eclipses that will pass over Texas in the next seven months will occur on October 14th during weekend two of ACL.While Austin isn't in the path of totality of this annular eclipse, 88% of sunlight will be blocked out. The eclipse will peak at 11:54 a.m., according to the University of Texas in Austin's Department of Astronomy.As an annular eclipse, the moon will not totally blot out the light of the sun. Instead, a ring of fire will appear around the moon, with the center of the star blocked out.Eye safety during the annular eclipseWhile you can look directly at the sun during the peak of total eclipse, an annular eclipse is different. It is very dangerous to look at the sun during an annular eclipse and you are risking damage to your eyes.According to the American Astronomical Society, "The only safe way to look directly at the un-eclipsed, parti...

KXAN Weather Q&A: Explaining what a 'hurriquake' is & more

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:54:59 GMT

KXAN Weather Q&A: Explaining what a 'hurriquake' is & more AUSTIN (KXAN) — Questions pour in constantly for the First Warning Weather Team, as viewers ask about different things happening with the weather in Central Texas and elsewhere. There's now a new, interactive way to find out answers. Every Monday morning, Meteorologist Rich Segal will comb through his inbox and join anchor Will DuPree for "KXAN Weather: What's on Your Mind?" to talk through some of the questions submitted that week. Fall storm coming: Rainfall, timing and temperatures Here's a list of the questions that got addressed: Charlotte Haisler: "I heard the term 'hurriquake' on an internet news site. What is it, and what causes it? Can the weather team explain this?"Rich's response: It's the combination of a hurricane and a earthquake. This is extremely rare, but it did happen on August 20, 2023. The term trended on X (formerly Twitter) when the city of Ojai was struck with a 5.5 magnitude earthquake rattled the city prior to Hilary making its landfall.Jo Nell Morris: Lov...

Downtown Saratoga Springs coffee shop closing its doors

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:54:59 GMT

Downtown Saratoga Springs coffee shop closing its doors SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Saratoga Coffee Traders, located at 447 Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs, is closing. Owner Scott Swedish made the announcement in a Facebook post on September 30. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce the closing of our Saratoga location on October 29," read the post. "We are hoping to be open in Schenectady in November."Sweedish said the shop's lease is not being extended. Saratoga Coffee Traders could have stayed open until December but he wanted to close at the end of October to give his employees time to find employment before the holidays. Multiple agencies searching for missing child in Saratoga County Swedish told NEWS10 that the circumstances were beyond their control. He still wants to have a shop in Saratoga Springs and is looking for a space."I don't know if I want to be on Broadway," said Sweedish. "I would love to be in the Arts...

Kiss performing at Enterprise Center in October

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:54:59 GMT

Kiss performing at Enterprise Center in October ST. LOUIS - Rock and roll legends Kiss will be in St. Louis on Wednesday, October 25, with their big farewell tour for fans.FOX 2 is giving away a pair of tickets to the 'End of the Road' Tour every day this week. Wainwright strikes out in cameo to end career as Cardinals beat Reds 4-3. Votto ejected To get registered, go to the contest page at FOX2Now.com. For a bonus chance to enter, follow @FOX2Now on Instagram.

I-70’s Peña Boulevard exit reopens after crash, fuel spill

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:54:59 GMT

I-70’s Peña Boulevard exit reopens after crash, fuel spill The northbound ramp to Peña Boulevard on eastbound Interstate 70 has reopened after a two-vehicle crash shut down the exit early Monday morning.At 5:39 a.m., the Aurora Police Department posted on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, that officers were on the scene of the crash and the ramp was closed.Paramedics took both drivers to local hospitals with serious injuries, police said.#APDTrafficAlert: Northbound ramp to Pena Boulevard is closed on eastbound I-70 for a two-vehicle crash. No estimate for how long the ramp will be closed. We will update here when more info becomes available. pic.twitter.com/hTLkljc4sl— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) October 2, 2023The crash caused a diesel fuel spill, closing the Peña Boulevard exit for several hours for clean up, Aurora police said in an update.The cleaning crew arrived at 8 a.m., more than two hours after the crash, and by 8:54 a.m. Peña Boulevard had reopened.UPDATE: Pena Boulevard has reopened. Officers ar...

Shooting suspects caught after crashing near Griffith Park, police say

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:54:59 GMT

Shooting suspects caught after crashing near Griffith Park, police say A shooting in East Hollywood led to a brief pursuit that ended with two arrests in Los Feliz near Griffith Park Sunday night.The shooting was reported at 11:22 p.m. at Kingsley Drive and De Longpre Avenue, though no one was struck, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.Officers began pursuing a vehicle connected to the shooting, and the chase ended less than 10 minutes later with a crash at Los Feliz Boulevard and Riverside Drive, police said.Two people were arrested, though they were not identified by police.Nancy Fontan contributed to this report.

Trump arrives in court as New York fraud trial begins: live updates

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:54:59 GMT

Trump arrives in court as New York fraud trial begins: live updates Former President Trump is facing a trial in New York on Monday in a sweeping civil case that could jeopardize his control over some of his most famed properties.A judge last week determined Trump had been liable for fraud for inflating the value of some of his properties in order to secure business loans.Monday’s trial marks the start of a long legal road ahead for Trump, who also faces a combined 91 charges in four criminal cases and several other civil casesFollow below for live updates from New York.